In 2019, Washington, DC, celebrated a World Series title for the first time in 95 years. Although the Nationals have been a league power for a decade, they always fell short in the post season. With this championship run, the underdog Nats—the oldest team in the league—implausibly rose from being 12 games under .500 in May to making the playoffs as a wildcard team in September. Washington Post writer ­Dougherty was along for the ride. In this debut, he explores how the team’s roster was created, and the various personalities involved. The first half of the book is an episodic and sporadic chronicle of the regular season, but the second half provides a detailed study of the 17 postseason games that delivered the championship. As a side note, Washington defeated the Houston Astros in the World Series, and the Astros have since been implicated in a sign-stealing scandal that dates back to their championship season of 2017. VERDICT As an insider’s view of a remarkable run, this should be ­enjoyed by all baseball fans.